Anzac Day 2013

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ANZAC war graves in the United Kingdom have been defaced and damaged for the second time this year. More than 100 Australian and New Zealand soldiers were buried at the Harefield churchyard west of London including survivors of the Gallipoli campaign in World War One who had been sent to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital nearby. Their graves have been targeted by vandals first in April and again over the weekend.

A British boy has been sentenced to life for his role in a plot that would have seen Australian police officers murdered on Anzac Day in Melbourne. In sentencing the boy, the judge said he had no choice but to impose a life sentence because it was impossible to say at what point the now 15-year-old would no longer pose a threat to society. Revelations made after the boy's arrest on a different matter uncovered the plot only a few weeks before it was due to be carried out.

More than 700 people have taken part in a ceremony at Gallipoli to mark the centenary of the Battle of Lone Pine. The four day battle claimed the lives of 800 Australians and wounded many more and saw some of the fiercists fighting in the Gallipoli campaign. The Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove has told the ceremony Lone Pine was less an example of modern war than a protracted and vicious armed brawl.

The president of the Islamic Council of Victoria has lashed out at the Federal Government and police for what he says is a lack of action when it comes to helping the Muslim community deal with the radicalisation of young men. He made the criticism at a bail hearing for an 18 year old Melbourne man charged over an alleged Anzac Day terror plot.

On Friday's program, the first Australian Air Force planes arrive in Nepal with aid, and to evacuate Australians from the country; the Indonesian ambassador to Australian has issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Chan and Sukumaran families; and the Productivity Commission has called for proper regulation of foreign agents paid to attract international students.

On this week's edition of Correspondents Report: A century after the Gallipoli landing, the technology used by war correspondents has improved exponentially, but some things stay the same; Middle East correspondent Matt Brown reports on another centenary that's just passed; PNG correspondent Liam Cochrane pulled on his hiking boots and backpack to join a group of wounded warriors on the Kokoda Track; and Europe correspondent Barbara Miller spoke to 95-year-old athlete Charles Eugster about his recipe for a long and active life.

100 years after Australian and New Zealand troops launched their attack on Gallipoli from the sea in the pre dawn darkness, HMAS ANZAC sails in formation in the Dardanelles, with ten ships including warships from Turkey, NZ and the United Kingdom. ABC NewRadio's Mandy Presland talks with RN's Breakfast Presenter Fran Kelly who was on board with the Australian crew.

Many of us won't make it to 95. And if you're in the group that does get there, I wonder what you'll be doing? Charles Eugster from Switzerland has a few suggestions. He recently set a British Masters Record in the 200 metres sprint, and now has his eyes on the World Championships. When he's not on the track, Charles can be found down the gym or out on the public speaking tour. Europe correspondent Barbara Miller spoke to him about his recipe for a long and active life.

While the focus has been on Gallipoli for this year, some have chosen to spend Anzac Day on the Kokoda Track, the scene of Australia's great battle with Japan in World War Two. But it's the struggles of modern day soldiers that are the focus of one group of trekkers, in particular post-traumatic stress and the lack of services for those trying to readjust to civilian life. Papua New Guinea correspondent Liam Cochrane pulled on his hiking boots and backpack to join the wounded warriors.

While Anzac Day and the centenary of the Gallipoli landing has been dominating much of our news this past week, our Middle East correspondent Matt Brown reports on another centenary that's just passed: the centenary of the first large-scale use of poison gas.

One hundred years ago, when the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli, Australia's first official war correspondent followed. Charles Bean was the official correspondent with the Australian Imperial Force from Gallipoli to the horrors of the Western Front. A century later, the technology used by war correspondents has improved exponentially. But the battles against military censorship and control remain.

While the focus has been on Gallipoli for this year, with services around the country this morning and in Europe, some have chosen to spend Anzac Day in Papua New Guinea. The Kokoda Track is the scene of Australia's great battle with Japan in World War Two.

As Gallipoli takes the limelight in its centenary, another important theatre of war is also being recognised: the Western Front. In a few hours, a record crowd of 6,000 people is expected to attend commemorations at the Australian memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in northern France. It's the 97th anniversary of the famous battle that saved that town and changed the war, but it will also pay tribute to the 46,000 Australians killed in the long and bloody campaign in France and Belgium.